My Seahawk Sweetheart
by iloveromance
Summary: Daphne's sudden infatuation with a football player for the Seattle Seahawks changes her in unexpected ways. But it's the reality that affects her most of all. Inspired by the Superbowl XLVIII Champions!
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Inspired by the amazing Seattle Seahawks, Superbowl XLVII Champions! All comments regarding football teams are for character purposes only and don't necessarily reflect the views of the writer! =) "GO HAWKS!"****  
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"Finished with your breakfast, Mr. Crane?"

Martin cringed as he shoved his oatmeal around in his bowl, tossing the spoon onto the table in annoyance. "Um… Yeah. I'm finished!" _I've been finished…_ he muttered, most likely assuming that she hadn't heard him. But she'd learned to ignore his ridiculous comments.

Daphne walked to the table, prepared to pick up his dishes, but paused in surprise. "But you've barely touched your food? Aren't you hungry?"

"Of_ course_ I'm hungry! I'm _famished_!" he snapped.

"Well, if you're so bloody hungry, why aren't you eating anything?"

"Do you really expect me to eat this… cardboard mush?"

"It's oatmeal and it's good for you!"

"Well so is red wine but you won't find me drinking that crap! Give me a Ballantine and I can die a happy man!"

"Fine, suit yourself!" She snapped, yanking the dishes from the table. Without glancing back, she stormed into the kitchen wondering for the millionth time why she put up with him day after day. She was grateful to Frasier for hiring her of course, and she truly did love her job, but Martin could be completely impossible. In frustration she opened the refrigerator and grabbed a box of chocolate covered Top Pot Donuts, placing one onto a plate. It went far beyond her better judgment and Frasier would be livid if he knew that she'd gone against his wishes to make sure that Martin stuck to his doctor advised eating regimen, but at that moment her only goal was to shut Martin up.

With a plastered smile on her face, she returned to the table and presented him with the doughnut. "Here! Are you happy now?"

To her dismay, his eyes lit up and he smiled. "Say! You're all right, Daphne!"

"Thank you, Mr. Crane. But don't let your son see you eating that doughnut! He's liable to throw me out onto the streets!"

Martin glanced at her in surprise. "For _one_ doughnut?"

She sighed deeply. "Well if you must know there's a whole box in the refrigerator, but you didn't hear it from me!"

"Fine, whatever. Just bring me the whole box, will ya? Fras isn't here and what he doesn't know won't hurt him! He won't be back for some time! He had some big date last night!"

Daphne's eyes widened. "Last night? And he still isn't back yet? Must be some date."

"Name's _Harriet_ something or other. One of his callers if you can believe that."

"His _caller_? Isn't that against the rules or something?" she mused as she returned to the kitchen for the box of donuts.

Martin shrugged. "Guess not."

"Well that's certainly…"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Never mind. Now hurry up and eat so that we can start on your exercises!"

He looked at her as though she'd just proposed marriage. "What, _now_?"

"Well of _course_, now! When did you think I meant? _Last week_?"

"Oh geez, do we have to do this _now_? The game's about to start!"

"What game?"

"The Seahawks game! It comes on in twelve minutes!"

Daphne looked at her watch. "But it's not even ten o'clock! Why are they playing so bloody early?"

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Because it's ten o' clock _here_ but on the east coast it's _1 o'clock_! Get it?"

Daphne shrugged. "I guess. But if they're playing here, then why-."

"Oh geez, you English people don't know anything about this country, do you? You're worse than Frasier and Niles! They're not playing here-they're playing in… oh, never mind, just let me watch the game in peace, okay?"

"All right. If it means that much to you. I'll let you watch until halftime and then we'll work, okay?"

"Halftime? But that's when the Halftime report comes on!"

"Oh bloody hell, forget about that stupid game!" Daphne yelled. "The Seahawks are nothing but a bunch of overpaid egomaniacs who couldn't win a football game if their lives depended on it!"

He glared at her in disgust. "Hey! Don't talk about the Seahawks that way! They're _America's Team_!"

"Well, I feel sorry for America then!" Daphne snapped.

"The Cowboys think that they're _America's Team,_ but that's a bunch of hooey!" Martin said. "The Seahawks are going to take it all this year, you mark my words!"

"Whatever. You'd better start watching your game because at Halftime, you're _mine _old man!"

"But-."

"No buts!"

With a groan he hurriedly devoured a few of the donuts and hobbled to his chair. "Well I hope nothing exciting happens during the first half!" He said as he picked up the remote and aimed it at the television. "If something happens, I'll miss the commentary! Hard to believe that guys like Aikman and Bradshaw are doing commentaries now!"

"Whomever they are." Daphne said flatly.

"They're _legends_, that's who they are!"

"Well don't worry, Mr. Crane. Trust me, if the Seahawks are playing, _nothing _is going to happen!"

"Oh yeah? Well if you don't believe me, then whey don't you see for yourself?"

"Fine, I will! But as soon as it's Halftime-."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Now shut up, okay? They're about to kick off!"

Daphne sighed and rolled her eyes, making herself comfortable on the sofa. "I can hardly wait."

The players ran amid cheers and yells and soon the ball was airborne, certain to result in a disastrous start to this game. It wasn't a psychic vision that told her this. It was purely from experience.

But then the most amazing thing happened. To Daphne's surprise, the ball was immediately caught by the Seahawks' quarterback, # 12 who scrambled and weaved his way in and out through a sea of colorful uniforms, resulting in a victorious touchdown!

Martin and Daphne simultaneously rose from their chairs, screaming and cheering and hugging one another in response to the unexpected triumph.

"Wow! Did you see that?" Martin yelled.

Daphne put her hand on her chest. "Oh my heart is racing! That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen in me life! I can't believe it!"

"Believe it, Daphne! This is our year! Oh look, they're going to interview Stratton now! This ought to be good!"

The camera panned to a female sports reporter who was standing next to this Stratton player who had made the incredible touchdown, asking him all sorts of questions about how he felt about his accomplishment. He spoke confidently and enthusiastically and he was obviously a great asset to the sport, the way he spoke so highly of his teammates, saying that it was a team effort and not something that he did on his own.

But Daphne was barely paying attention to his words. Instead she found herself staring at his incredible features. His broad shoulders, wavy hair and crystal green eyes and her racing heart beat even faster.

He was absolutely gorgeous.


	2. Chapter 2

Her heart thundering in her chest, Daphne stared at the screen for several more seconds before snapping out of her daze. Martin groaned and muted the sound of the television, making her realize that she'd been staring at the screen for quite some time.

"Well, that's just great!" He grumbled. "Ten points ahead at the beginning of the second quarter and now they're losing! Damn it! Might as well throw in the towel now! If they keep playing like this, the entire season will be a bust!"

"But it's only the second game!" Daphne blurted out. "They'll get better."

Martin looked at her, incredulous and even Daphne had no idea how she could have possibly known anything about the game, much less their schedule.

"Yeah?" he grumbled. "Well, I doubt it. Did you see the way Jennings fumbled the ball on the twenty yard line? I bet Eddie could have played better than that!"

"It'll be all right." Daphne said quickly before she was aware of what she was saying. "Stratton will take care of it. He's the quarterback, isn't he?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"I don't know much about football, but from what me brothers' told me and from what I've heard on the television, the quarterback is supposed to be the leader of sorts."

She couldn't bring herself to look at him, but she could feel Martin watching her, most likely wondering where this sudden knowledge of football came from. Perhaps it had come from years of being forced to listen to Martin's Seahawk games. She never dreamed the information would become part of her memory, or that it would become useful information.

"Right…" Martin said slowly. "Well, it's almost time for the game to start again but I guess we can do a few exercises right now. It won't take very-."

"No, it's all right. We can do them later." Daphne said quickly, causing Martins' eyebrows to rise once more. "Why don't I get these breakfast dishes cleaned up and make some popcorn? We can share it while we're watching the game. You don't mind if I watch it with you, do you?"

"While we're… Daphne, are you serious? You want to watch the game with me? But a minute ago you said-."

"I _know_ what I said, old man!" She snapped, aware of her rapidly beating heart. "I just… Look, I'll be right back. Just watch the game, okay?"

Without waiting for an answer and unable to look at him, she retreated into the kitchen hurrying to rinse the breakfast dishes and put them into the dishwasher. As quickly as possible she unwrapped the cellophane from the package of popcorn and shoved it into the microwave. The whirring of the contraption did little to calm her rapid heartbeat and she leaned against the counter, forcing herself to take a deep breath. What was wrong with her? She'd never taken an interest in American football before (or any American sport for that matter), but she just couldn't get this Stratton person out of her mind. She'd never felt this way about anyone before; especially a man who had no idea she existed.

And she wondered what it meant.


	3. Chapter 3

"Daphne, where's that popcorn? The game's starting!" Martin yelled.

Daphne wasted no time in rushing into the living room with the bowl of popcorn in hand and took a seat next to Martin, stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nah, but they changed players, so maybe these guys will play better this quarter. We need to get caught up! Come on, guys!"

"Look! Stratton has the ball!" Daphne shouted. "He's going to throw it!" Sure enough, Number 12 threw the ball into the air in a perfect spiral, where it was caught by Demery, Number 46, who ran it easily into the end zone.

"TOUCHDOWN!" Martin yelled, sparking another round of cheers and cries of joy. Daphne had never felt so euphoric in her life. Suddenly the Seahawks, who had been trailing behind by several points, were now winning the game. And the extra point made it even sweeter.

They sat watching the game, cheering at the small victories and cursing at the not-so good plays (and there were plenty), but by the time the fourth quarter started, Daphne found herself on pins and needles. The game was so close that all the Seahawks had to do was to hold onto their lead and use their defense. But they did better than that, scoring two more touchdowns for a spectacular win!

Daphne and Martin hugged, cheered and shouted along with the crowd on the television, and even Eddie began barking wildly, trying to join in.

"That was unbelievable!" Martin yelled, waving his fists in the air while Eddie continued to bark.

"I know!" Daphne replied. "I can't believe it! Oh, Mr. Crane this is wonderful!" Overcome with excitement, she hugged him yet again, and neither she nor Martin noticed that they were no longer alone.

For in the doorway, Frasier and Niles stood staring at the two football fans, wearing stunned expressions.


	4. Chapter 4

Never taking his eyes off of Daphne and Martin, Frasier removed his coat and tossed it carelessly onto the Cocoa Channel sofa. "Dear God, what is going on here?"

"Oh Dr. Crane, you should have seen it!" Daphne said, unable to keep the excitement from her voice. "It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen! Even I can't believe it!"

Frasier rolled his eyes. "I can't believe it either."

Perplexed, she stared at him. "But I haven't even told you-."

"You don't have to, Daphne. I already know. Whatever the Seahawks did to humiliate themselves-."

"But they didn't, Dr. Crane! It was just the opposite! You see, Stratton threw the ball and it went sailing through the air! And then-." She turned to Martin, having momentarily forgotten the player's name.

"Demery". Martin replied.

"Oh yes, Demery, who ran it in for a touchdown! And they won the game!"

"Oh my, that is unbelievable!" Frasier quipped. "Seattle's football team finally won a game!"

Niles and Frasier laughed but Daphne wasn't at all amused. "I'll have you know that Stratton is a wonderful football player!" she snapped. "Even me brothers couldn't play as well as him!"

"Oh, and since when are you such a big expert, Daphne?"

"Since your father and I started watching the game!" Daphne retorted. "I can tell that you've never watched one!"

"_He_."

At the sound of Niles voice she turned around. "What?"

"It's not _him_, it's-."

"It most certainly _was_ him!" She snapped again. "Just because you and your brother know nothing about football, doesn't mean-."

"No, I meant… the correct response should have been "Even my brother's couldn't play as well as _he_."

Now Daphne was fuming. How dare Niles correct her grammar! "Oh, will you shut up with your snobbishness? Just because you went to some fancy college doesn't give you the right to make me feel like I'm incompetent!"

Niles put his fingers over his lips; a sure sign that he was trying to cover up his laughter. "Daphne, I wasn't-."

"The heck you weren't! You both were! You're always correcting me grammar or laughing at things I like and I'm tired of it! I-."

"Come on, Daph… Don't let these boys get to you. They don't know a damn thing about football and they don't have a clue what they're talking about! Why don't we just pretend they aren't here?"

Daphne scoffed, glaring at the insensitive psychiatrists. "If only that could be true!"

Frasier angrily grabbed his book from the coffee table. "I'm going to catch up on some reading in my room! Go ahead and finish watching your ridiculous game!"

"Well, it's too late for that." Martin said, peering at the television. "The game's over and it looks like the Seahawks scored another touchdown so they won by an even bigger margin! Thanks for making us miss it!"

"It was my pleasure!" Frasier yelled sarcastically before he stormed off.

"That must have been one hell of a celebration in the locker room!" Martin said. "Too bad we missed it. I've never seen them come back from that far behind before! Incredible. A miracle, if you ask me."

Daphne smiled in spite of herself. "Oh, I don't think it was a miracle. They do have Stratton."

Martin grinned. "You like him, don't you?"

The question caught her off guard, but there was no hiding her flushing cheeks. "What? I… No, I… I mean, I barely know anything about him."

Martin chuckled. "Well that's easy to fix. He's the most popular player on the team. "

She gasped in disbelief. "You mean, you know him personally?"

"No, I'm not that lucky. I wish I knew him. Actually I wish I knew all of them. Such a great group of men. This is by far the best team Seattle's ever had."

"Daphne, you can't be serious!"

She turned to find Niles shaking his head in disbelief. She'd almost forgotten that he was still in the room. "Of course I'm serious!"

"You like him that much? He's a _ball-player_ for God's sake!"

"He's not a _ball-player_." Martin corrected. "Ball players are baseball, Niles. This is football!"

"It doesn't matter Dad! It's still a useless career!"

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to remain calm. Niles had irritated her in the past, but this was simply too much. "To answer your question Dr. Crane, I do like Stratton! A lot! He's a lot more successful than you! He's loyal to his team, and he's selfless! Isn't that right, Mr. Crane?"

"Damn right." Martin agreed. "Stratton is one hell of a guy."

Niles expression changed. "Ah, well… I see. I guess I'll be going now and I'll leave you to your game."

"But the game's over!" Daphne replied.

"Ah, go on , Niles! We don't need you around here!" Martin said, waving toward the door. The hurt on Niles' face was evident, but Daphne was too angry to feel apologetic. She watched wordlessly as Niles stormed out of the condo and then looked worriedly at Martin who shook his head. "Don't worry about him. He'll cool off."

"But -."

"Look, I love my sons but when it comes to sports, they are completely clueless! We're the real fans, right Daphne?"

Daphne's heart danced in her chest, thinking of the handsome quarterback and she smiled cheerfully. "That's right."


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Daphne lay in bed unable to fully relax. Every time she closed her eyes, images of the handsome quarterback filled her mind. It was absolutely crazy, feeling this way about some man she'd never even met, but whose mere presence had unexpectedly captivated her. The way he'd insisted on sharing the credit for winning the game when clearly he was the hero, who had scored the winning touchdown… or one of them anyway. She was still fumed by the fact that they had missed the climatic ending.

All of her life she'd looked down upon the ridiculous sport of football. Grown men running up and down a field were the most ridiculous thing she'd ever seen… until now.  
>Something had happened when she reluctantly began watching the Seahawks game with Martin. Suddenly the sport- which always seemed silly and pointless-was enjoyable. How had this happened? And why? Had she become so desperate for a man that she found herself falling for the first one she saw?<p>

No, it wasn't like that. It wasn't like that at all. This was different… like a wonderful gift that had been given to her.  
>With a contented smile on her face, she hugged her pillow and closed her eyes, as even more images filled her mind. What would it be like to go out on a date with him?<p>

He was probably such a gentleman, never insulting or criticizing of things she liked. In fact, he'd probably embrace their differences. And there were sure to be plenty. She couldn't possibly have much in common with a handsome, successful athlete. But he seemed so down to earth that it was hard not to like him.

She wanted to know more about him… a _lot _more. But asking Mr. Crane was out of the question. She'd already been embarrassed by his knowledge of her so-called "crush" and she had to admit that it embarrassed her a little as well. Mr Crane was bound to tell his friends and she'd be the brunt of many jokes, most of which she wouldn't understand. But she didn't care. Let them have their fun. She knew that her feelings, although a bit unconventional, were real... Or at least they felt real anyway.

She stared out of her window at the moon which shone through the clouds. Was Stratton, she wondered, doing the same thing, thanking the stars above for the Seahawks winning the game? Was he thinking about the next game? She knew little to nothing about football but she knew that it must take a lot of work and preparation. A few times she'd glanced at the sports section of the _Seattle Times_, always rolling her eyes in annoyance at the notes about the players and how much money they made. It was more money than she'd ever see in her lifetime and she suspected more money than both Dr. Crane's made put together.

How Niles and Frasier could be so jealous was unfathomable, but they'd always been so competitive with one another, always wanting the best and wanting to be the best. Well, not this time. This time there was someone even better.

The smile still present, she squeezed the pillow to her chest once more, pretending for a second that it was Stratton and she was hugging him in gratitude. And it was that silly thought that warmed her heart, allowing her to drift off into slumber at last.


	6. Chapter 6

Morning couldn't come fast enough and Daphne raced in and out of the kitchen, trying to prepare breakfast as quickly as possible while Frasier and Martin watched in obvious amusement.

"What's with you?" Martin asked.

Absently, she put the basket of scones onto the table along with some butter and jam. As expected, Martin quickly began slathering butter onto the scone; a sight that normally would infuriate her, for she was so adamant about making sure he ate right. But now she barely noticed. "I-I don't know what you mean." She lied.

Frasier's eyes narrowed. "I think you do, Daphne."

She glared at her boss. How dare he-

"Daphne is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, Dr. Crane. Why should anything be wrong?" She could feel her face flush at the lie and she was grateful that she hadn't somehow inherited Niles' frequent nosebleeds, which always seemed to give his lies away. But when her eyes met Frasier's yet again, he was glaring at her intently. Clearly he didn't believe her either.  
>"Why are you looking at me in that way?"<p>

"I don't know… You just seem… a little frazzled." He remarked. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine. I just… I need to run some errands and I want to get an early start." It was, in a sense, another lie, for she had no errands to run; not today anyway. But she was so anxious to leave. She had something special to do but she wasn't about to tell Frasier or Martin what it was. They would think she was completely daft. And perhaps she was. Even Martin would think so and it was best not to say anything at all.

"Look Daphne, why don't you just go? Dad and I will clean up here." Frasier finally said.

Daphne couldn't believe her luck, nor could she believe what she was hearing. Frasier had never been so accommodating before. Usually he protested and ranted and raved when she went against his wishes. But not now. Something was up. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead. We'll be fine." Martin said.

And then she realized that this wasn't a trick. They really were trying to make her happy. And it worked... Oh how it worked. She was so happy that she almost cried and she ran to each man, hugging them. "Oh, thank you so much! I'll never forget this! Ever! I love you both."

Frasier and Martin exchanged perplexed glances and then smiled at her. "We love you, too, Daphne. But really you don't have to go to so much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all." Daphne said. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can!"

"But Daphne-."

She didn't wait to see what he had to say. She was already rushing out the door on her way to her car. She could hardly wait to get to her destination.


	7. Chapter 7

The main Branch of the Seattle Public Library was absolutely huge and it had only been open for a few minutes when Daphne arrived. She was grateful to find a parking place directly across the street, allowing her to run inside within seconds of leaving her car. The Queen Anne Branch was much closer to the Elliott Bay Towers, but the spacious Central Branch would be a lot easier to find an available computer. She wished that she had a computer of her own at home, where she could do her own research in the privacy of her room. But it would take moving mountains to ask Dr. Crane to allow her to have one. She wasn't even sure if he had a computer. Surely he had one at the studio. However, to ask for a computer that would be exclusively hers would be a lost cause and she certainly didn't make enough money to purchase even a modest version.

If it weren't for Roz graciously showing her the basics (learning to 'surf the net' as they called it was the most helpful lesson), Daphne wasn't sure that she'd even know what a computer was. It was frustrating having to actually leave home in order to utilize what she'd learned. How nice it would be to do what she needed to do at home. But on second thought, she had no privacy, so it was probably best to do it here at the library, where no one would disturb her-or so she hoped.

She hurried into the library and showed her library card. Within seconds she was heading up the escalator where she passed several floors screaming with bright colors. When she reached the top, she quickly found a computer that was free and went to reserve it. Although she didn't have much experience with the Internet, she typed rapidly on the keys until she brought up Google. The white page with the colorful letters appeared on the screen and she typed again; _Stratton, Seattle Seahawks. _

Almost instantly the screen filled with images of Seattle's most famous football player. Daphne's heart beat rapidly as her eyes moved across the pictures. It was impossible to find one that wasn't devastatingly handsome. She stared at her favorite pictures for quite some time before remembering that she only had a limited number of minutes to use the library computer. Living with Frasier and Martin definitely took a toll on her free time as it were, so she'd best make this count. She wasn't sure when she'd get a chance to return to the library. Frasier wouldn't be so forgiving this time. She was certain of it.

Her notebook and pen in hand, she began scribbling furiously, taking notes as though studying for an important test. She wrote down fact after fact, determined to memorize them all. The more she wrote, the more fascinated she became. The man… Mark Stratton (what a lovely name) was nearly perfect, with an incredible career history and schooling that was as impressive as the Crane brothers. He'd played football his entire life and his father had been a great influence. Her heart went out to him when she read that his father had passed away only two years before, after a short illness. Daphne couldn't even imagine losing her father so quickly or so tragically and she found herself blinking back tears. Mark Stratton had worked through his grief, most likely putting his heart and soul into his football career. She knew that his father must be very proud of him.

Why was she getting so emotional? She didn't know the man; would never know the man, and yet, in the short time that she'd been at the library, she'd learned more about the Seahawks quarterback than she knew about any other athlete-or any celebrity for that matter. Perhaps she was daft. What other reason could there be for her sudden infatuation?

The drive home was filled with images of the handsome man, embedded in her mind. He was much younger than she but age didn't matter to her. And she found herself asking silently…

_What if?_


	8. Chapter 8

Daphne walked in the door carrying a load of packages in her arms, greeted immediately by both Crane men who took the shopping bags from her.

"It's _about time_ you came home!" Martin exclaimed. "Where in the hell were you?"  
>"Dad-."<p>

"Thank you." Daphne replied. "I'm sorry I'm so late. I got a bit carried away with me shopping."

"I'll say!" Frasier exclaimed. "Daphne I thought you just went grocery shopping last week. We can't possibly need-."

"Oh, I didn't buy any groceries." Daphne reassured her boss. "You see, I passed by this store and-."

"Hey, look at all of this Seahawks stuff!" Martin shouted as he held up a blue and green sweatshirt emblazoned with the Seahawks' famous logo. "Daphne, what did you do?"

She watched, embarrassed as Martin continued to go through each bag, removing Seahawks knit hats, baseball caps, t-shirts, flags, a blanket and even a plush Seahawks stuffed animal. "I-I just bought a few things." She stammered.

"A _few_?" Frasier shouted. "Dear God, it looks like you bought out the whole store! I didn't realize that you were such a Seahawks fan!"

"Oh, well, I…"

"Hey! I like this!" Martin interrupted, holding up a blue and green Seahawks jersey that sported Robert Demery's Number 46."

Daphne smiled. "Really? You really like it?"

"Damn right I do! Who wouldn't love a Demery jersey?"

"I'm glad. Because it's yours!"

Martin's eyes widened. "What? Are you serious?"

"Of course! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be such a big fan!" Her comment brought a most unexpected hug from the man who rarely exhibited sentiment of any kind and she relished the feeling of his arms around her. It was strangely comforting from the man whom she often considered a father figure since her own father was so far away in England and she held him tightly. "Mr. Crane…"

"Thanks so much for doing this, Daph. I don't know what to say!"

She drew back and smiled. "You don't have to say anything. I was glad to do it."

Martin held up the Demery jersey against his chest. Wow, this will be a perfect fit! Wait till Duke and the guys see it! They're going to be so envious! Hey, I hope you got something for yourself."

"I certainly did." Proudly she reached into another bag and removed a Number 12 jersey with the name Stratton on the back. At Martin's wide eyes, she smiled. "It was more expensive than I imagined, but I couldn't resist."

"Well, what are you waiting for, Daphne? Go and try it on!"

Excitedly she took her shopping bags and headed into her room. Her hands actually trembled as she removed the Stratton jersey from the bag, carefully clipping off the price tags. The moment she slipped the jersey over her head she looked into the mirror and smiled. It was a bit roomier than clothes she normally wore, but she loved it anyway.

Like a schoolgirl trying on school clothes, she hurried into the living room where Martin and Frasier were waiting and stood directly in front of the old man. "How do I look?"

She felt like a model as she turned in a circle showing off her jersey, her arms stretched out wide.

"Hey! You look incredible, Daphne!"

The compliment couldn't have been more welcome had Stratton himself had told her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. But her cheeks flushed.

"Really?"

"Absolutely! You're going to look amazing when we watch the next game!"

Her heart skipped a beat. "When is the next game?"

"Are you crazy? It's on Sunday! They _always _play on Sunday!"

She could tell he was rolling his eyes, but it didn't bother her one bit. However, she wished she hadn't asked such a stupid question.

"Well, I'll make sure to make plenty of snacks for you while you watch the game."

"Actually I was going to watch it at Duke's."

Her response was out before she could stop it. "May I come with you?"

Martin and Frasier exchanged stunned glances. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious! I asked, didn't I?"

"Well… yeah, but..."

"Oh for God's sake Daphne, you can't be serious! A _football game_?"

Daphne glared at her boss. He was such a pompous, arrogant- "Yes, a football game, Dr. Crane! It's no more ridiculous than your silly wine club parties or your opera!" She shot back.

Martin grinned. "She has a point, Fras."

"Dad-."

Daphne was annoyed with her boss' reaction. "Are you saying that I can't go?"

"That is not at all what I'm saying, Daphne. It's just… Dear God do you really want to spend the entire day in some bar with a bunch of sports maniacs?"

"You did it for years!" Daphne shouted. "Or have you forgotten a little bar in Boston run by Sam Malone?"

"And stop knocking sports, Fras! Just because you don't have the faintest idea about any sports at all, doesn't mean that Daphne and I can't have a little fun!"

"Fine, Dad. You and Daphne go and have your fun! Watch your game! Dear God, how this started I'll never know!"

Daphne couldn't stop smiling as she turned to Martin. "Thank you, Mr. Crane. I can hardly wait until Sunday!"

Martin grinned back. "You know Daphne? I can't wait either."


End file.
